cappellini



No. 609,532. Patented Aug. 23, I898. A. CAPPELLINI.

BOAT LAUNCHING DEVICE.

(Application filed Jan. 18, 1898.) (Ne Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

INVENTOR.

WITNESSES ATTORNEY 5 m: cams PETERS an PnnTo-uma, wAsmuoTom n. c

No. 609,532. Patented Aug. 23, I898.

A. CAPPELLINI.

BOAT LAUNCHING DEVICE.

(Application filed Jan. 18, 1898.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-'Shest 2.

HTTOR THE "cams PETERS cc. FNOTOLIYMOH WASHINOYON, a c.

No. 609,532. Patented Aug. 23, i898.

A. CAPPELLINI.

BOAT LAUNCHING DEVICE.

(Application filed Jan. 18, 189B.)

3 Sheets8heet 3.

(No Modal.)

INVENTOR I. -v fi ATTORNEYS WITNESSES m: uonms PKTERS ca. Pnormnrno. WASNINETON, o. c.

UNrrn STATES AnNr rrrcn.

ALFREDO OAPPELLINI, OF FLORENCE, ITALY.

BOAT-LAUNCHING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 609,532, dated August 23, 1898.

Application filed January 18, 1898. Serial No. 667,119. (No model.)

To on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFREDO OAPPELLINI, a citizen of Italy, and a resident of Florence,

Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Boat-Launching Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a boat-launching apparatus, and has for its object the launching of life-boats from a ship at sea automatically. lVhen accidents occur at sea either in case of collision or storm and it becomes necessary to launch life-boats to save passengers and crew, it is of the highestimportance that the boats should be launched with the greatest promptitude, the least danger of being overturned, and with the least requirement for labor on the part of passengers or crew. My apparatus is so constructed that the captain on the bridge can by touching an electric button automatically launch all of the life-boats of his ship simultaneously, or

any number that he may desire, without the.

assistance of a single man. This invention enables the commanding officer to retain his boats until the last minute, and then launch them quickly and positively only when he finds it absolutely necessary.

My apparatus is also especially adapted for the quick launching of a life-boat in case a man should be washed overboard at sea.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical section of a part of the hull of a ship, showing my boat-launchin g device secured to the side of the ship and a life-boat in the position which it usually occupies when not in use. The figure also shows the position of the life-boat when launched and of the launching apparatus in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the launching apparatus and lifeboat as it appears upon-the side of a ship. Fig. 3 is a vertical elevation of a part of my davit and a vertical section of the davit-controlling device employed to regulate the descent of the lifeboat from its position of rest to the water while in the act of launching. Fig. at is a diagrammatic view of my launching device, showing means for disconnecting the boat-launching device from the life-boat after it strikes the water. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the keel and lower portion of the life-boat and of the keel-holding device and of the means for disengaging the holding device from the keel. Fig. 6 is a vertical sec tion of the device for locking the davit in its position of rest when supporting the life-boat and of the device for unlocking the davit when the boat is to be launched.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 represents the shell of a ship, 12 the main-deck, and 2 the upper deck. 13 is a hand-rail of the main-deck. 3 is the water-line. 4 is a life-boat, shown in full lines supported by my improved davit upon the edge of the upper deck and shown in dotted lines upon the water in its position after launching. 5 5 are the davits, pivoted at 6 6 in the brackets 7 7, which are bolted to the side of the ship. Sis a cradle consisting of two forks united together by means of a rod 9, and each fork provided upon its extremity with a trunnion 10, which said trunnions 1O 10 are journaled in the upper ends of the davits 5 5. By the trunnions 1O 10 and the cradle 8 8 the life-boat is supported and maintained upon the ends of the davits. 11 11 are a pair of clamps secured to the edge of the upper deck and embracing and securing the keel of the life-boat, so as to prevent its rocking upon the trunnions 1O 10. 1d 14 are the davit-locking devices, by which the davits when once raised to their vertical position supporting the life-boat may be locked in that position andwill remain so locked until released by suitable action. When the davit is locked by the locking device 14 and the keel of the boat is held firm and stationary by the securing devices 11 11, the life-boat will remain stationary, being held rigid in its position in relation to the ship. 15 is the controlling device by which the descent of the life-boat and the davits is controlled and prevented from being too rapid. It consists, preferably, of a series of telescoping cylinders, which are filled with oil or some other material and which arevprovided with pistons having apertures, through which the contents of the cylinders have to pass before they can be fully extended or the life-boat lowered to the surface of the water. The cylinders 15 are pivoted to the side of the vessel upon a bracket 16 and secured to davits 5 5 by means of a device marked 17, of which several forms are shown in the drawings, any one of which may be used.

Referring to Fig. 3, 5 is a portion of the davit, and the davit-controlling device, piv- V oted upon the bracket 16. This controlling device consists of two cylinders, two pistons,

and a piston-rod. The exterior cylinder is rior wall of the cylinder 18, the cylinder 19 acting as the piston-rod of the piston 21 and passing through a stuffing-box upon the upper end of the cylinder 18, (marked 18.) 22 is the piston upon the end of the piston-rod 20, which engages the interior surface and reciprocates Within the cylinder 19 and passes through the stuffing-box upon the end of the cylinder 19, (marked 19*.) 23 is 'a hole or a series of holes through the piston 21, making a communication between the cylinder 19 and the cylinder 18 below the piston 21. 24 is a hole or a series of holes through the piston 22, making a communication between the upper and the lower sides of the piston 22. 25 is a hole or a series of holes, also in the piston 21, making a communication between the upper and the lower sides of said piston within the cylinder 18. It will be seen that if the cylinders 18 and 19 be filled with oil the piston-rod 20 and the cylinder 19 cannot be extended until the oil contained in the cylinder 19 above the piston 22 has passed through the hole 24 into the lower part of said cylinder and the oil contained in the upper portion of the cylinder 18 has passed through the holes 25 into the lower portion of said cylinder. It will be observed that the size of the apertures 24 and 25 will determine the speed with which the oil is permitted to travel-through these apertures and consequently the speed with which the life-boat will descend when released. The size of these apertures may be adjusted by rotating the plates of which the piston is composed, so that the holes will not perfectly register. This is of course an old and a usual method of accomplishing this result.

It is a well-known fact that if oil be cast upon the surface of the sea when the waves are veryhigh it will to some extent quiet the Waves and at least prevent them from break: ing over the boat which may be upon them. In cases of this kind it may be advantageous instead of retaining the oil within the cylinders 18 and 19 to allow it to be ejected upon the surface of the Water by the pistons 21 and 22.

26 26 are two lugs integral with the davit 5 and perforated, which form a part of the device by which the davit-controlling device 15 is secured to and released from the davit.

27 is an eye, perforated, which fits between the lugs 26 26 and is hinged at 28 to the piston-rod 20.

29 is a pin passing through the lugs 26 26 and the eye 27 and securing the davit-com trolling device to the davit.

30 is a rod secured to the pin 29 at one end and pivoted to the side of the vessel at 31 upon the other end. The pivot 31and the rod 30 are located at some distance above the pivot 6 of the davit, so that as the davit descends below the position shown in Fig. 4, after having launched the boat, the pin 29 will be drawn out of the holes in 26 26 and 27 and the davit-controlling device will be released from the davit. This is necessary, because when the controlling device is extended to its utmost limit if the davit and controlling device were left in that position they would probably interfere with the launching of the boat or be broken by the action of the waves, and it is desirable that they should drop into a vertical position as soon as the boat is launched. They may subsequently be recovered in any desired manner. 7

Referring now to Fig. 5, which shows a vertical section of the keel-locking device for the life-boat, 2 is the upper deck of the ship, upon the extremity of which is bolted the keel-locking device 11. 32 is the keel of the life-boat, 33 a stationay jaw-of the locking device, and 34a movable jaw, which consists of a bell-crank lever pivoted at 35. 36 is a supporting-block which when in the position shown in the drawings will maintain the jaws and 34 locked upon the keel, but which when removed will permit the jaw 34 instantly to drop and release the keel. The block 36 consists, preferably, of a block of glass having an interior cavity 37, which is filled with gunpowder and sealed by the leading-in wires 38, which project into said cavity and into the gunpowder and upon the exterior are connected to a suitable source of current, so that when a current is passed through the wires the gunpowder willbe ignited, the block 36 exploded, and the jaw 34 will instantly drop and release the keel of the boat.

Referring to Fig. 6, which is a vertical section of the davit-locking device, 5 isa portion of the davit, 13 the hand-rail of the maindeck, supported by proper braces, and 14 the davit-locking device. 39 is an eye or link secured to the davit, having an aperture 40 in its end. 41 is a latch with which the eye 40 engages and by which the davit is supported. The latch 41 is curved, so as to retain the eye when in engagement with it, and is pivoted at 42, and has a bell-crank lever 43. 44 is a supporting-block similar to 36 pseferably made of glass, resting upon a bi; ,cket 45. The block 44 is provided with a cavity 46, filled with gunpowder, and 47 are ignitingwires hermetically sealed into the block and in contact with the gunpowder. The wires 38 and 47 are connected together with the same source of current and with the same contact device upon the bridge, where the ofiicer in command by touching a button can 6X=- This struc- Fig. 1 shows a device for releasing the davit controller from the davit which is still simpler than either of the structures heretofore described. It consists of a simple eye rigidly fixed in the davit and a shallow hook upon the end of the piston-rod 20, which engages the eye and which is simply pulled out of the eye when the davit reaches such a level as to carry the eye beyond the reach of the hook.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a boat-launching apparatus the combination, of a pairof davits pivoted to the side of a vessel, with a boat-carrying cradle, pivoted to the free ends of the davit upon trunnions, which permit the boat to maintain its level in all positions of the davit, and a davitcontrolling device, also pivoted to the side of the vessel at one end and connected to the davit at the other end, and adapted to control the descent of the davit and boat when re leased, substantially as described.

2. In a boat-launching apparatus the combination, of apair of davits pivoted to the side of a vessel, with a boat-carrying cradle, pi-voted to the free ends of the davit upon trunnions, which permit the boat to maintain its level in all positions of the davit, an automatic controlling device adapted to control the descent of the davit and boat when released and means for disconnecting the davitcontroller from the davit when the boat has been launched.

3. In a boat-launching apparatus the combination, of a pair of davits pivoted to the side of the vessel, with a boat-carrying cradle, pivoted to the free ends of the davits, upon trunnions, which permit the boat to maintain its level in all positions of the davits, and a davitcontrolling device consisting of, a series of telescoping cylinders, filled with fluid, pivoted to the side of the vessel at one end, and secured to the davit at the other, and adapted to control the descent of the davits and boat when released.

4:. In a boat-launching apparatus, the combination of a pair of davits pivoted to the side of a vessel, with a boat-carrying cradle, pivote'd to the free ends of the davits upon trunnions, which permits the boat to maintain its level in all positions of the davits, and a davitcontrolling device consisting of a series of telescoping cylinders, filled with fluid, pivoted to the side of the vessel at one end, and secured to the davit at the other, and adapted to control the descent of the davits and boat when released, and means for releasing the controller from the davit to permit it and the cradle to sink below the boat when the boat is launched.

5. In a boat-launching apparatus, the combination, of a pair of davits pivoted to the side of the vessel, with a boat-carryin g cradle pivoted to the free ends of the davits, with alocking device, for locking the davits to the side of the vessel, controlled by an electrical device, whereby the davits maybe unlocked and the boat launched, by closing a circuit at any desired part of the ship.

6. In a boat-launching apparatus the combination, of a pair of davits, pivoted to the side of the vessel with a boat-carrying cradle pivoted to the free ends of the davits, with alocking device for locking the davits to the side of the vessel, said locking device consisting in part, of a block of fragile material which may be broken to unlock the davits.

7. In a boat-launching apparatus, the combination, of a pair of davits pivoted to the side of the vessel, with a boat-carrying cradle pivoted to the free ends of the davits, a locking device for locking the davits to the side of the vessel, said locking device consisting in part of a block of fragile material, containing an explosive and an electrical device, for igniting the explosive, to rupture the fragile block and unlock the davit. 1

8. In aboat-launching device the combination, of a pair of davits pivoted to the side of a vessel, with a boat-carrying cradle pivoted to the free ends of the davits by means of trunnions, said cradle being adapted to maintain the boat in a horizontal position, in all positions of the davits, with a locking device for locking the davits to the side of the vessel, and a locking device for locking the keel of the boat or the cradle to the deck, said looking devices consisting in part of fragile blocks, containing an explosive, electrical means for igniting said explosives and rupturing said fragile blocks simultaneously, by the closing of a circuit at any desired part of the vessel.

Signed at Baltimore city, in the State of Maryland, this 11th day of January, A.D.1898.

ALFREDO OAPPELLINI.

Witnesses J. HENRY STROHMEYER, II. N. ABERCROMBIE. 

